Environmental Trends 2002

Mitigation of Impact

Municipal Solid Waste Disposed of and Recycled

SOURCE: BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, 2002. BC Municipal Solid Waste Tracking Report 2000. NOTES: Data for recycled and disposed wastes were obtained from regional districts where available, and disposal data estimated according to the methodology in the 1998 report for regional districts that did not supply data. Tracking methodology was improved in 1996, increasing the reliability of the data. Estimates of recycled waste are underestimated as the amounts handled by private recycling facilities are not included in most regional district data. The material recycled through industry stewardship initiatives account for 8.9% by weight of the total amount of recycling reported in BC for 2000, although this figure is also underestimated, since several stewardship programs report data in units that cannot reliably be converted to weight.

Status and Trends in Municipal Solid Waste

• It is estimated that British Columbians generated 1,070 kg of solid waste per person in 2000. Of this, 618 kg required disposal. This represents a 30% reduction since 1990 in waste disposed of per person.

• In 2000, 452 kg of solid waste per person was diverted from disposal for recycling. Waste recycled increased from 19% of waste generated in 1990, to 42% in 2000. Approximately 80% of households are served by curbside collection of recyclables.

• The amount of waste disposed to landfills and incinerators decreased from 2.9 to 2.5 million tonnes between 1990 and 2000. During the same period, the population increased by 32%.

• Ninety percent of British Columbia’s disposed waste is sent to landfills; 10% is incinerated.

For detailed information, including graph data, see In-Depth report [pdf].